Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning.

And welcome to the Fiscal Accountability and Government Relations Committee meeting of September 2nd. I am pinch hitting for Robert Alonzo. I call this meeting to order. I'd like to start off by, first of all, welcoming back our colleague, Luisa Santos from maternity leave. Congratulations again. Many blessings to you and your family. And welcome our new superintendent to his first committee meeting. I know that our board chair had wanted to provide some introductory comments.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And I just wanted to take this opportunity to welcome our new superintendent. who we know is going to do a phenomenal job leading the third largest A-rated school district in the entire country, Mr. Rafael Villalobos. I wanna thank my esteemed colleagues on the board because as I have said before, honestly, we really did hit it out of the ballpark with a selection of Mr. Villalobos, we also thank our previous superintendent for the job that he did, and now welcome our new superintendent to the reason why we are the best choice in the entire country, and that is because we put children first all the time, and we know we're confident that that's what you're gonna do, so Mr. Villalobos, welcome, and if we could stand, members of the board, so that we could give him a nice, Round of applause, but also a standing ovation. Here we go.

Mr. Villalobos, before we get into any substantive business, you want to take an opportunity to address this in your now official capacity.

Absolutely. Let's do a follow-up.

She's the only one that spoke. Go ahead, Mr. Villalobos.

Well... Mr. Chair, Madam Chair, Madam Vice Chair, school board members, what an honor to be here today on my first day in committee meeting. So I can tell you that we are ready and we are prepared and we are looking forward to leading the third largest school district in the nation and just continuing to elevate it to even greater success. greater heights and making sure that Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the premier educational organization of this country. And we will work diligently and we will work tirelessly to make sure that that happens because our students deserve that, our community deserves that, and our societies deserve that. And it starts with our educational organization. So thank you for this opportunity. It is truly a privilege to be here.

Thank you, Mr. Villalobos. And like I said before, you were running before you hit the ground, and you hit the ground running even faster. So for my part, I'll just start off by saying thank you for the degree of communication that you've begun your superintendency with, which I know will continue in the collaborative spirit, and the work you've already put in before day one. So thank you very much. I look forward to the rest of your tenure in office. Board Member Geller?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to echo the words of... our committee chair, but also the words of the school board chair just a few moments ago, which I thought were well taken. I'm just very excited about this, Mr. Villalobos. It's just an exciting day. Like the chair, I think your predecessor did an excellent job, and I want to reiterate that. That was his choice to be in that retirement program. We certainly wish him well, but I am just bubbling over with excitement for the beginning of your administration. You took the time yesterday before you started to reach out and go over some very significant matters to me. So as Chair Espino said, you've more than hit the ground running. I think you just about kind of touch the ground because you're flying. And that's just very exciting. I look forward not only to the continued success of this district, again, as Chair Rojas said, it's all about the kids, but there's so many things that can be undertaken, new ideas that you have, new ideas that my colleagues and I will be advancing to you. I look forward to, you know, transparency, I look forward to openness, but mostly I look forward, as Chair Rojas said, it's all about the kids, and by the way, their parents, and by the way, the teachers and our other staff. It's all about this community, and I just can't wait to see how we're gonna move forward, but I know it's gonna be in a positive direction, so welcome, welcome, welcome. Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Anyone else want to, Vice Chair Colucci?

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and welcome. Welcome to this new position. Welcome to your first day on committee, at committee. It's an exciting one. It's a new day in the chapter of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. And it promises to be an exciting one as we continue our record of excellence as the third largest A-rated school district in the nation. And I have very high expectations. I know my colleagues do as well. And we have to continue to raise the bar and do so for our students. And I really know that with you at the helm, we are going to achieve all of that. So welcome aboard and have a great first day.

Thank you, Ms. Colucci.

Thank you so much. I'm happy to be back. I feel like my brain's waking up, you know? And thank you, Mr. Villalobos, for... the last few weeks and how thoughtful you've been in this transition. I want to take a second to thank Dr. Dotris as well. He, I think, did so many wonderful things, took us, I always say we've come a long way, we've got a long way to go. He definitely had a role in getting us to where we are today and we're really grateful for that. And then I really enjoyed reading your welcome message to MDCPS today. I think it embodies the reason that this whole board unanimously supported you in leading us in this next chapter. You are very clear on the challenges and you're not trying to sugarcoat that for anyone, but you're going to do it in the most empathetic, kind manner. way possible for every single person. And you ended that message by saying the most important thing, that every decision that you will do, you will do keeping in mind that a child's future may depend on it. Because it does, for hundreds of thousands in our community. And so we are thrilled that that is the lens that you are bringing to this role. I echo the sentiments of flying into the position and really just hitting the ground running. We're grateful for that energy. And yeah, we can't wait to see what comes of this next chapter for all of us. So welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is absolutely an exciting day. I still remember the first time that we met on a Zoom call and you were driving and I said, why don't you pull off to the side of the road? We can wait for a safe moment. But I felt it that day, but I've seen it every day. You are all about not just what's right by the children, what's right by the parents, what's right by the faculty, but you are about doing the right thing. And if it's hard, It's done, as was mentioned, with empathy and love, but with a true message of the why, right? The love behind the tough decision. And that was impressed upon me at the very beginning when I started working with you. You're my only region superintendent down in the south. But I'm extremely excited. You mentioned the other day you haven't slept much. I think it shows because of all the things that you have been doing. I do hope you get some time to sleep and rest. because we need you for the long haul. So I'm definitely looking forward to it. And we're starting exactly the way that you've started. First day is a big committee meeting day, but that's how you haven't shied away from the challenge. And so I look forward to this next chapter.

Thank you. Thank you, colleagues, for the wonderful introduction. For continued introductions, we are in fiscal accountability and government relations. Our committee membership is Robert Lonzo, our chair. I am your vice chair stepping in today. Board Member Santos Geller, our members. Dorothy Bendros-Mendigal, alternate member with Marie Blanco, alternate members. And ex-official members, our chair and vice chair. If we can stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, led by our new superintendent, please.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Moment of silent meditation. Thank you very much. FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS, MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES?

SECOND.

ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE.

AYE.

ALL OPPOSED, SAY NAY. MINUTES PASS. BEFORE WE GET INTO THE E-ITEMS, I BELIEVE OUR SUPERINTENDENT HAD WANTED TO OPEN UP WITH SOME BUSINESS. MR. SUPERINTENDENT.

THROUGH THE CHAIR, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION AMONG OUR COMMUNITY, AND THEY HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT THE ATTENDANCE BOUNDARY COMMITTEE PROCESSES THAT HAVE BEEN OCCURRING THROUGHOUT OUR DISTRICT. although it's necessary that we communicate with each and every one of them, I'd like to put, after today's meetings, a pause on every single one of those future meetings as I myself reassess the schools that have been selected with my team and my staff and have an opportunity to also speak to each and every one of you individually so that you will understand the rationales, why those schools were selected, the process in which those schools were selected, and have an active communication back and forth to see what other ideas we may have and bring to the table as we also get ready to embrace our communities and for them to also understand what those rationales are and what that process is as well moving forward. As we started today, it's about children. It's about our communities. We want to make sure that we are transparent that we are communicating with them, and that that transparency is a two-way street. There's a lot of misinformation out there. And we want to make sure that we clear up all of that misinformation. And it starts with us. It starts with this amazing staff of individuals that we have that work for Miami-Dade County Public Schools that puts children and families first. And I'd like to be given that opportunity to put a pause, and then we can come back second week of October and still finish by December as it is and has been expressed on the H-10 item, so that way we don't miss a beat, but that we have a better, clear understanding and roadmap, making sure that we're all on the same page.

Point of order, Mr.

Chair? Yes, Mr. Gellar.

Would accommodating this new superintendent's request require action by the board, by the committee, and then by the board?

As far as I know, this is an administrative discretion that he's been able to exercise. Not at this time is what I've understood. But let me start off by saying, Mr. Villalobos, thank you so much, as Board Member Blanco said, for starting with the hard thing. Obviously, some of my colleagues expressed in memos and e-mails it was hard to get the news through third parties about what was happening in our communities and then harder still to respond to our communities without information. So being at the table when these decisions are made are incredibly important for us. I know that some of us went through that during the ABC process last year. We made accommodations in response to what the community had wanted to do, but then to sort of be blindsided and, you know, you to have to deal with the fallout is certainly a challenge for all of us, but I think we're all willing to pick up the mantle and work with you to make sure that our communities are heard, where our offices are heard, and we make this a smooth process, albeit a challenging process.

Through the chair.

Yes.

If I can add to that, and I apologize. Of course. It's important that we understand that this will be the process moving forward, as we know that we may be doing this for a couple of years. We were in the business of building schools. And now, unfortunately, we have to reduce because of the reduction in students. So I just want to make sure that everyone understands that this will be the process moving forward, that transparency and communication will be there with every single one of you. Thank you, sir. Vice-Chair Guccine.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I want to commend our new superintendent for putting a pause on this. There's a lot of unrest and uncertainty, and you have come in first day. It's very refreshing to hear that you will be communicating with us, having us be part of this process. And I'm very, very confident that this will move forward in a smooth, transparent manner. with the input of all stakeholders in our community. Because at the end of the day, our children are the most important thing and our families. And we want them to be side-by-side partners and listen to every single concern that they have. So thank you. I really appreciate and I commend you for coming in within your first moments of committee and taking charge and taking action. You are to be commended. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Gallucci. Thank you. Board Member Santos.

Thank you so much. And colleagues, I know we have a policy item, so I'll save the logistical comments and feedback I have on that policy item when it comes up under G1. But I know this is under the purview of the superintendent, and I am fully supportive if that's what's going to help everyone be able to move forward in that. excuse me, where everyone has a seat at the table. That's the most important part of this process. While also addressing the concerns that we've had over the years about timeliness and how quickly this process can happen so that families have the information they need to be able to make decisions. So I'm supportive of your decision to do that. I did have one question. Families, were families already notified of dates of meetings taking place through the chair?

They were. We will send an update to all of those families. It'll go in the book bags tonight or today. So those families can receive them. And then we will also have student messengers sent out. So that way those families also understand that there's multiple outlets and communication to reschedule those meetings at a later time.

Thank you. Through the chair, I'm sure we're going to handle that well. I am concerned now that we're creating confusion for those families. I know this is sort of an adjustment year because we're trying to do this in a different way moving forward. And so naturally, in this year, there's going to be just kinks to work out. It is worth noting, though, that now families are gonna be told one date, then it's changing. I'd be open, if it makes sense, for any of those where there's support and everyone's been truly notified and well informed, for any dates where that's the case for them to remain if that creates less chaos for families. Now, if it doesn't, fully supportive of just changing all of them. And like I said, I do have some feedback on the process we're adopting. I'll leave those comments for G1. But I am, you know, having been the maker of the item and grateful to my colleagues' support on the item that led to some of these changes, you know, we've... It was so great to have the opportunity to, before bringing an item, get input from colleagues. And we were able to do that two different months in a row during new business at committee. And I think even printing out timelines so that everyone could give their input was such a nice thing to have. And yet, we still, because of other missed opportunities, are landing in a place where we have to change things. You could say somewhat at the last minute when we've been discussing this for months. So as long as it's gonna help us all move forward together and give those families and the board members, because we represent those families and we have to be able to answer to them when they reach out, that opportunity to do so together, then let's go for it. But I did want to note, we've had at least five chances to discuss at least timelines, not notices of schools in our district, but timelines. And I just wanted to make sure that we don't really get to do that. So we should make sure that when that happens, we're able to, we participate actively in the process. Thank you so much.

Thank you for closing, Chair. Yes, if I may respond to Ms. Santos. So Ms. Santos, point taken. We want to make sure that there is no more additional confusion to our parents and our families. We will do everything in our power to make sure that the information gets out, especially about future meetings after today. And then that way we don't have that added responsibility or layer that they feel that they haven't been communicated with and so on and so forth. So we will do everything in our power to make sure that that gets out. Thank you, sir. Thank you.

Thank you very much, sir. And I would like to state that for us, critically important is that trust from our community is something that's not given. It is earned. And that trust has to be earned by all of us because we're a team. Teamwork makes that dream work. But that part of that team are the parents, are the teachers, are the principals, are the members of the community, and are your board members. So I want to express my gratitude to you, Mr. Superintendent, and your team that I have spoken with, as my colleagues have as well, for coming and addressing the elephant in the room. because that's what it is. And so with full clarity, transparency, and accountability, we will earn the trust that that community that we represent is supposed to have in all of us. So as I always say, if you're not with us on the takeoff, don't expect us there in the landing. And I thank you for including us now in that part of the process so that my colleagues and members of our community, our parents, our teachers, our administrators, everybody is able to provide their input so that the final outcome is something that everyone involved in this process is satisfied with. And there should be no questions. There should be no tensions. And I think that moving forward, we're going in the right direction. So I appreciate that. And I thank you for listening. Because two ears to listen, one mouth to speak. And you're listening. You're a good listener. And I know that you're going to work very collaboratively with all of us. and our community so that we have the best outcome, again, for everyone we represent, but especially for the reason why we are all here, and those are our children, the future leaders of tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, sir.

Thank you. Board Member Geller.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciated the heads-up on this that I got from you, and I just want to express my support also. I don't want to belabor that. because I think my colleagues have expressed that well. So I want to, great, but I also want to just highlight that what you're doing here, in my opinion, is one thing that the district needs to do more of. It's great to keep the board members informed and involved, and I appreciated Madam Chair's takeoff and landing statement, Metaphor, considering I'm very much down with that airplane mode for this morning. But even more importantly than the ABC committee itself, and that's a big deal, the tone that you set today on your first day with that announcement is not just to keep my colleagues and me informed, but to let the larger community, the parents and other community leaders and stakeholders know that they are gonna know what's going on, that they're gonna be involved, that they're gonna hear about these decisions while they're being made, not after the fact. This is a big one, but there's a lot of big ones. And the tone that you set today of openness and transparency and community involvement is fully what I expect from you, Mr. Villalobos. I'm confident in it. But I'm glad that the larger community gets to see on day one that that's how this district is going to be run. And I applaud you for that. We're here, and you and your staff and your cabinet, we're all here to be servants. And we have to make sure that people we're here to serve have a voice and know what's going on. And this is step one. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Board Member Blanco.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Villalobos, thank you for opening with that. Very much appreciated. I was somewhat vocal in a response. I was... had no indication of any of my schools being under review or being assessed, and I had people reaching out to me the day that the letter went out, and I couldn't even respond because I didn't even know what, I had no idea what they were even talking about. And it wasn't until days later that I was like, oh, that's what they're referring to because I didn't know. So I very much appreciate the pause. I know the community for one of my schools in particular has been very vocal. It happens to be my neighborhood school. I was in the supermarket that backs up to that school that very same day. I'm grateful nobody recognized me to say something because I wouldn't have known what they were talking about. So I really do appreciate you coming and putting that pause. What I will say is that beyond just being informed ahead of time, I would really want to be part of the conversations. While I will not pretend to know all the analysis that go into identifying these schools and say that I know my district better than anybody else, I know my district well enough to, I think, be part of the conversation to not just understand, but possibly even offer other things to look at. And so... and I know we'll talk later about the G item, and I was in full support of the item that, I believe it was the H10 item that led to some of the changes in the timelines, but we've seen how it's played out. So I think there needs to be some pause, not just in these conversations, but in reflection of moving forward. And maybe we, I don't know what the solution is, I just think that starting this early in a school year where you have teachers who are excited about the new year, and one weekend they're being notified, It's just not the way to start a school year, right? And it's not a message for parents to get one week in. So I don't know what that means about the timeline. We'll discuss it later. I know we're putting a pause, but I want to say that for me, it's not just about this year. It's about moving forward. We may need to kind of relook and revisit and see other options that would allow us to get to the timing we want without having to do this one week into the school year.

Thank you, Ms. Blanco. Thank you, Board Member Blanco. And again, thank you, Mr. Superintendent, for acting with discernment in this area. Yes, Mr. Harvey.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just briefly, in light of the announcement that was made by the superintendent this morning, I think that I will have a recommendation with regard to G1 when it comes up in the personnel committee. I think that some elements that I've learned through this process could be added to the policy based on my conversations with each of you individually, as well as some issues that have boiled up from the community. And I'll have a recommendation in that committee regarding G1. Perfect. Thank you, sir.

Okay, moving on. May I have a motion to bring the e-items to the floor?

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Ms. VanCore, E1, please. Good morning. Good morning. E1, is the approval of the annual... Can you turn your microphone on?

Better?

Yeah, it's just far away, yeah.

Good morning. E1 is the approval of the annual financial report, the AFR for the fiscal year ended 2026.

Thank you so much, and thank you for the thorough briefing when we got it. There was one follow up that you responded to us on, which was the fact that, and colleagues, you hear me talk about this often, this district spends over $100 million every year on utilities between electricity and water. A large part of that is just our rates keep going up. Our increase last year from the blended rate was 6.9. Thank you for confirming that. And so even though we've put in place lots of energy-saving measures, which are working, because we did go up by less than we expected, we're still increasing heavily at such a rapid rate in our spending on utilities. I know that our right-sizing conversations will help curb that trend, I know that our energy management system conversations will help curb that trend. But this is definitely a place in our budget where we have tremendous opportunity to act fast, act decisively, and be able to find even 1% savings is a million dollars. And so this is a place where we have to continue to pay attention. And when necessary, speak up. When rates go up by 20% over five years, that's killing us in our schools. We need to be able to track it and know how we're going to find efficiencies in this space so that we can divert those dollars to our classrooms, which is always our goal. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Board Member Santos. Yes, Board Member McGill.

If I can follow that for a minute, I have talked about that a little bit previously, not as much as Board Member Santos has, of course, but Mr. Superintendent, without Everything else you've got. And I know there's a lot, and a lot of it's urgent. But I think this is a very important point, and I'd like to just reiterate, which I haven't done with you before. We should be looking at a variety of ways to try to save money. It's critical now more so than ever. And I still think maybe wrongly, maybe we have a study and maybe you've got something in the archives, maybe with dust on it that says, nope, forget it, you're dead wrong on this. We have all these properties. They're mostly active and well-maintained. I still think that there's got to be some way that we could generate a lot of our own energy by putting out solar panels and all these properties we've got. at the time when you have a chance to turn to this kind of stuff, which, you know, it's not this week. It's not in the middle of budget. But I'd like to see us find, is there something along this? I know Board Member Santos has a lot of other ideas that she's advanced, but that's one that just makes sense to me. And, you know, if we can just cut the costs that we're spending, I mean, it's not intended as revenue producing. It's just... To lower our costs, so when you get a chance. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. E2, please.

Yes. E2 is the non-expendable personal property inventory deletions and recoveries report for fiscal year 25-26. It's an annual report.

Thank you. E14, please.

E14 is the adoption of the millage levy resolution for fiscal year 26-27. E15. E15. E15 is the adoption of the five-year facilities work program required by Florida statute.

Yes, ma'am, sure.

Yes, no, I just want to take a moment to thank Mr. Perez. I had the opportunity to meet with him with reference to the five-year plan. I see that he's back there. And I just have to publicly state that you are the consummate professional. You truly are so dedicated and committed to doing what is right for all those that we represent. So I thank you for the time. and for the true care that you express when we go through school by school, especially when we're dealing with schools that are over 100 years old, like many of the ones that I represent. So I thank you publicly and look forward to making a difference for the physical plants of those facilities that need a lot of love and tender care. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

E16, please.

E16 is a final adoption of the fiscal year 26-27 budget. Yes, sir.

Yes, Madam Chair. Thank you very much, sir. On page two, under appropriations ending fund balance number two states, quote, decrease appropriations for rebudgeting including commitments, encumbrances, state categorical and other restricted funds, available balances carried forward from prior year, end quote. This is a question, Ms. Betancourt, that I ask every single year because being someone who came from a school site, I know how critically important this response is for them. So in simple language, does this mean that our schools will have for their 25-26 balances re-budgeted after the board takes action?

Through the chair? Through the chair, I'm sorry. My understanding is that these are decreases in appropriations that had been carried on the books in the prior year that have been cleared. I don't think this is a final, final number. There will be some minor revisions to this budget in the next, you know, few days, but certainly prior to next week's meeting. But my understanding is that this just kind of releases the encumbrances that have been sitting on the books from the prior year and brings it forward as this decrease in the ending budget. So through the chair, thank you.

But since the schools are the ones that generate the dollars after we have voted here as, again, a board at an official board meeting, normally it would be going back to the schools. So that's why I asked that question.

Okay.

So if you'd like, you can follow up with me after. Absolutely. I'm fine.

I will.

And then you can include to that question if that would also apply to our district budget as well.

Okay.

Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you, Madam Chair. E17. Oh, sorry. It's okay.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had some questions yesterday during briefing that I just want to ask publicly and in front of my colleagues. There has been some information that's come out in the media as far as our enrollment. And based on some of the updates that we got afterwards, it seems like that information was not fully accurate. And so my question during briefing yesterday that I just thought was important for everyone to hear, and maybe you asked it and heard it, but I just want to bring it up here. Based on the briefing that I had when we had our first budget meeting, it seemed like this budget was created obviously with a certain enrollment, and we only had a wiggle room of 1,000 students less ENROLLED THAN WHAT WE WERE PROJECTING, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE NUMBER IS GREATER THAN 1,000. SO I HAD THE QUESTION OF, DO WE NEED TO RELOOK AT THIS BUDGET BEFORE APPROVING? SO THROUGH THE CHAIR, MS. BETTENCORD, IF YOU COULD JUST KIND OF SUMMARIZE WHAT YOU SHARED WITH ME SO THAT I KNOW THAT EVERYONE ON THE BOARD IS AWARE. THANK YOU. MS. BETTENCORD.

SO THROUGH THE CHAIR, THE BUDGET WAS, THE PROJECTION OF FTE IN THE BUDGET WAS A LITTLE OVER 217,000. WE ARE JUST UNDER 213,000. FTE. That relates to about a $40 million loss. At the time that the budget is first created, the tentative budget, it's very early in the summer. Our projections are typically on target, but with the impact of FES, those trends have ceased to help us. But the state was in agreement with our number. So now we have this deficit that we need to address. Unfortunately, you know, it is a moving target. We are hopeful that our numbers will continue to increase because I've been looking every day, and every day it's getting a little bit better. But this is the budget that we're working with, and I reached out to the budget team afterwards to ask, you know, is there even the possibility of delaying this approval or revisiting this? And, you know, what I was told is that due to the trim chapter, the Florida statutes, we need to finalize the budget and the trim, you know, the millage rates at the public hearing so that this can be communicated and those trim notices can go out to the homeowners. Failure to do that could impact our FEFP funding and our ability to levy taxes. So what we need to do is look at this budget. We've already increased the signed fund balance with a reserve of $20 million for the FTE shortage. And again, for the reserve for the tax collection shortfall, it's the beginning. It's not all that we need to reserve. But we just need to go with this budget, in my opinion, and then see where we can increase the savings so that we can increase the reserves.

Thank you, and I appreciated that response because I felt it was important for us to know, and I know even in just my meeting just a little bit ago with Superintendent Villalobos, you're looking at ways to also create some cuts so that we do end up in hopefully a better place than we do, and if we do reach that moment where we need to freeze anything or whatever, that we've learned some important lessons and that we can get ahead of it and do it in the right way. Thank you.

Thank you, Board Member Blanco. E17?

So E17 through E26 are the final resolutions for the 25-26 budget. Would you like me to go through them individually, or would you like me to take them as a group, whatever you?

Let's run through them individually. We'll do it off by title.

Okay. E17 is resolution number three, the general fund final budget review.

E18? E18.

E18 is the resolution number three, fiscal year 2526, debt service funds, final budget review.

E19.

E19 is resolution number three, the 2526 capital outlay funds, final budget review.

E20.

E20 is resolution number three, 2526 special revenue, food service, final budget review.

E21. E21.

E21 is resolution number three, fiscal year 25-26, special revenue funds, other federal programs, contracted programs.

E22. Mr.

Chair.

Yes, so forgive me.

Yeah, no worries. On E21, Ms. Betancourt, through the chair, on page three or four, there was a decrease in Title I funding of almost $6 million. Can you walk us through why that is showing in our budget resolution?

Yes. That was, you know, when we look at these resolutions, they are highlighting variances from the tentative budget to the final adoption of the budget. And that 5.9 was a difference in the allocation that we received from the state. It is adjustments that they make on their side, and then they impact us, and that is the reason for that $5.9 million decrease.

Thank you. Through the chair, are you aware if we have any sort of like power or control in ensuring that those projections that we put in our Title I budget remain so that we aren't, I get it, everyone has to adjust, but that then we aren't having to scramble because we had budgeted for $6 million more in Title I than we actually are getting from the state?

I would defer that to... THE GRANTS? DO YOU HAVE, AS FAR AS OUR TITLE I, MELISSA? I'M SORRY.

Good morning, everyone, through the chair. Yes, those allocations come out every year based on the best estimate that the state has. So we work closely with the Title I office. Our office here works closely to understand how they're making their projections. In the past couple of years, there's been changes in enrollment, and so that has impacted all school districts. So we try as much as we can to understand what's coming and make our budget that way.

Thank you, Ms. Laters. Through the chair, that means then that, for example, this year, since we also are having a difference between our projections and what we're seeing, the trends we're seeing, the Title I office is proactively, although not yet changed in our budget, making sure that you're not spending according to the original budget. Absolutely. They're looking at closely all the expenditures. Thank you so much. Thank you.

And through the chair, you know, this office and this administration will make sure that we are taking copious notes of the entire budget everywhere we may be taking a hit and how we are actually going to make sure that we make accommodations that impact schools, you know, the most favorable possible for our children. So just to make sure that everyone understands that. Thank you so much. E22.

E22 is Resolution No. 1, 2526, Special Revenue Funds, Other Cares Act Relief. Final budget review.

E23.

E23 is resolution number two, 2526, special revenue funds.

E24.

E24 is resolution number one, 2526, miscellaneous special revenues. It's the school board law enforcement trust fund, special events trust, and internal funds.

E25. E25.

E25 is resolution number three, 2526, internal service health insurance fund.

E26.

And E26 is resolution number one, 2526, fiduciary fund, the pension trust fund.

Okay, moving on. E141, please.

E141 is the award invitation to bid. It's an ITB 25-046MJ. It's the school bus routes for private bus companies.

E142.

E142 is the award invitation to bid, number ITV25047MJ. It's the transportation for special needs students.

Board Member Santos.

Thank you. Through the chair, for board items E141 and E142, it would be helpful if maybe Mr. Diaz, who oversees our transportation department, could give us just a high-level overview of why there's a necessity to have these two items. I know we have a pending conversation about amounts and entities listed here, but specifically, just for our general understanding, why would these items be needed?

Mr. Diaz? Through the Chair, and welcome back, Ms. Santos. I hope all is well with you. So, yeah, so basically right now we're operating about 684 routes. 606 are driven by our bus drivers. The rest we contract out through private. Why? We have a requirement, number one, for any child that lives over two miles from their home school, as well as all those PESC stipulations of IEP and transportation. So there's never, honestly, a maximum type of route. We want to transport every child that we possibly can. We're a choice district. We're a magnet school, accelerated district. So we always want to transport as much as possible. We have a driver shortage. 100%. We have a driver shortage. There's a lot of reasons why. The main reason why, to be honest with you, is salary, competitive salary. Just so you know, we have a lot of discussions taking place right now as we move into collective bargaining. I'm very confident with some of the proposals that we have related to a possible solve related to this. I've been working with... Ms. Dr. Baglows and her team in the Labor Relations Department. And hopefully some of this can be dissolved as we move into this window of opportunity. But right now, honestly, it's because of shortage of drivers and the necessity to get students that want to be part of Miami-Dade County Public Schools to the school in which they want to reside in.

Thank you so much for that explanation. And while that makes sense, there's also the opportunity, like you said, to say, you know, if we're spending upwards of $6 million, having to contract to meet that need, how can we proactively think differently about how we allocate those dollars to be able to find solutions to our root cause problem, which may be that, well, we know from the report that you gave us on the road transportation framework, just how far behind maybe we've gotten on both driver, mechanic, and aid hourly pay. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. We are at E143.

E143 is Award Invitation to Bid, number ITB25031MF. It's the security camera and video surveillance system to furnish and install in our schools. And E201. E201 is authorization to accept grant awards and donations from multiple funding sources and enter into contractual service agreements with the agencies prescribed in the grant.

Yes, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. This is an item that I absolutely love every year.

This is projected.

THERE WE GO. BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT THE DOLLARS THAT WE RECEIVE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO ASSIST OUR CHILDREN, OUR TEACHERS, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, JUST EVERYONE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IN GENERAL. I ESPECIALLY LIKE IT WHEN I SEE THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. AND AGAIN, THIS IS ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT HAVE INCREASED. THE ONE WITH INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION FOR PART B. AND IT INCREASED BY 1.15%, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND THESE DOLLARS WILL BE USED TO ENHANCE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN THAT FALL IN THIS CATEGORY. I ESPECIALLY LIKE MANY OF THEM ARE VERY GOOD, BUT I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE ONE THAT IS PERSONALIZED LEARNING INITIATIVE, BECAUSE I HAVE A BOARD ITEM. that is going to be heard later today. It deals with the middle schools, and this is to support the operation and implementation of high dosage tutoring to middle school mathematics, which is greatly needed, and you'll hear a lot more about that when I present my item. So I'm happy that this is being looked at in this fashion, and the more dollars that we can get into this particular endeavor I think will be very helpful because those years are are crucial to the success of our children when they get to high school. So just very, very pleased with that. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Entertain a motion to approve the E items. Move it.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. All opposed? May I have a motion to move the G items to the floor?

Move it.

Do I have a second? All in favor? Aye. Mr. Harvey, G5.

Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. G5 presents for initial reading, amendments to school board policy 6320, purchasing and 6332 professional service contracts for insurance and risk management programs. This item is following board item H4 from the July 2026 meeting. proffered by you, Mr. Chair, which directed the superintendent to, among other things, propose revisions to Policy 6320, purchasing, and any other active procurement-related board policies and administrative procedures to promote the use of objective, measurable, and clearly defined evaluation criteria whenever practicable. If there are any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Harvey. I'll just start off by saying thank you again. I know we discussed this yesterday during our briefing. But I think this will get us the way there to avoid what happened during the last solicitation for insurance, where we really couldn't objectively say why the selection committee reached a consensus point, and they may have differed from our own criteria as board members, given the constraints that we've got by policy, but also our own prerogatives from a budgetary perspective. And I think Board Member Santos and I had discussed this also, of just having that clear criteria at every step so we can identify. And it also makes us a little bit more better inoculated from protests, that we can have that better defined. So thank you, Madam Chair.

Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you for bringing your item forth, which was very much needed. I'd like to also thank Mr. Harvey, sir, for submitting the document to us, the proposed amendments on 6320, which are found on, again, page 1630. I just want to make one recommendation for consideration, and that would be under number four, letter D. I think that additional language to be included to ensure that the board is aware who are the committee members? Who are they who are evaluating the proposal when the memorandum is submitted to the board by the superintendents? I think that that would be very helpful. Many times we have no idea. And so that would be my only recommendation to this particular item. Everything else that you have in the item is really dealing with the new language referencing the procedures that are outlined on Policy 6320, and all of that is excellent. But this is a friendly recommendation that I would like to make because I think it's imperative that the board is cognizant of who those members are. Thank you very much, Mr.

Chair. Thank you, Madam Chair. Great contribution. Entertain a motion for approval.

Move it. Second.

All in favor? Aye. All opposed say nay. Entertain a motion to bring the H items to the floor.

Move it. Second.

All in favor? Aye. H4. Madam Chair, this is your item.

Yes, thank you very much, sir. H4 is a school board endorsement of Ethical Governance Day 2026 in Miami-Dade County Public Schools on October 22nd, 2026, sponsored by the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust. This is an agenda item that I bring forth on an annual basis. I think it's extremely important. We work very, very closely, again, with the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, and that we strongly support the importance of the work that they do and particularly their efforts to work with our schools through this Ethical Governance Day. This year's Ethical Governance Day is scheduled for again October 22nd, 2026. I know that our staff has already reached out to senior high schools, the principals at those schools, with a briefing which is outlining what the program is all about. I have personally participated year in and year out with other elected officials from different, representing different government. And so I'd like to find out how we had a response, this is to staff through the chair, from our schools about the percentage of schools that plan on participating this year. Through the chair.

Through the chair, if I may. Ms. Rojas, we have approximately 61 high schools that have actually signed up to participate.

Great. That's great. And also... will you be able to provide the names of the schools, the high schools, because I'd like to know which ones are in my district, because I like to attend many of these events that they conduct on that particular day. So if possible, you could provide that. I'd like to have it. I think my colleagues probably would benefit from having that information as well.

Through the chair, Ms. Rojas, we'll ensure that that information is communicated to all board members. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. And my last question, is there a deadline for them to submit that they want to participate?

Through the chair, Ms. Rojas, let me look into that deadline, and I'll make sure that you are aware of it as well.

Thank you. Thank you very much. That's all, sir.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank the board chair for bringing this item. I can't say I've participated year in and year out, but I participated year in. But it's a wonderful program, and I would encourage not only all of our colleagues to do that, and again, thank you for bringing it, but I don't know if we have an organized program whereby our staff can participate, but if not, that's a pretty good day if anybody can get free, Mr. Superintendent, to be able to participate. If there's a way to do that, obviously that doesn't compromise people's ability to perform necessary functions, but when I've done it in the past, the students love it because it's, I mean, It's a break from what they do every day, so that makes it appealing in one sense, but also ethics and public trust, which is what that commission is about, is under assault today, and anything that we can do to assist in that and to remind the young people coming up that ethics matters, that it's important. I really elevate this program. and the ethics and public trust COMMISSION FOR WHAT THEY DO, BUT I'M GLAD THAT WE DO PARTICIPATE. IT TAKES PLACE IN OUR SCHOOLS. SO HEAR, HEAR TO THE PROGRAM. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. AND JUST TO FOLLOW UP, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. IT'S REALLY CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR YOUTH, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE LEADERS OF TOMORROW. AND I WILL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH ANOTHER BOARD ITEM RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT MATTER SOON. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. CO-SPONSORSHIP? I HAVE A MOTION. on favor say aye may have a motion to recommend approval to the board all in favor all opposed next sign was h6 this is my item I'll be candid with everybody this this was a tremendous educational experience for me because it was the intersection of federal state and and county obligations and regulations but when I saw the item come up on our radar I thought it was a part and parcel of what we ask from the state which is flexibility the educational flexibility partnership back to 1999 provided states once designated the ability to have some flexibility in the implementation of programs especially those that are designated federal programs and tied to federal regulations well the state of florida was designated such an ed flex partner in 2026 and florida had to approve that approval creates an opportunity for school districts to examine whether eligible federal requirements that necessarily limit us. I mean, so it's few and far between where governments are telling each other, hey, your regulations are too burdensome on our programs, and we need to develop opportunities for flexibility to meet our community demands and our community needs. Through that process, at the federal level, there was a rulemaking, and then we participated in the rulemaking process, which there's always opportunity for public comment through the Postsecondary Career and Technical Education and the Office of Professional Learning. Now that Florida possesses EDFLEX authority and DOE has opened the application process, we as a district can avail ourselves of that. And so essentially this item does not predict nor is it mandate that we actually avail ourselves of that, but simply directs the administration to review the federal programs and the various ways it intersects with our operation and see if there's anything that we can find some relief from or that we can enjoy some flexibility to further implement that program to meet our community needs. Really, it's about effectively allocating resources, supporting our education, our educators, I should say, expand educational opportunities, especially when it comes to career and technical, which was thought to find the most benefit from it. So this is generally an exploratory item, but it directs the superintendent to put more stuff on his plate in this early time. and look through our federal programs and its implementation to see if there is any flexibility that we can ask through the state, the federal government for, to really make sure that Miami-Dade County's needs are not being limited by federal regulations. That's the item, everybody. Board Member Santos.

Thank you so much for bringing this item, Board Member Spino, and for keeping us on top of what's going on and potential opportunities for us to do better, like you said, by our students and our families. I really appreciate that you explicitly state to do an analysis before, We commit ourselves to submitting for a waiver. Obviously, there can be unintended consequences of submitting for a waiver, so I really like that it's thoughtful in the analysis portion. I learned something new from your introduction. You said that we participated in rulemaking. I was not aware, so I don't know if you know or if staff can answer, what was our input during rulemaking? Because that means that we've done some sort of initial analysis.

From my understanding, and we can have staff, because I believe it was career and post-technical that said it. where there were possible opportunities within the spaces of professional learning and career and technical, that if there was more flexibility, they can achieve XYZ. And I can get a breakdown for you and transmit it to everybody. But essentially, it was looking ahead of possible opportunities that could have been folded into it and telling the state, telling the federal government, if you do this, these are the benefits that Miami-Dade County could potentially experience.

Thank you so much. I would love to see that because that's, you know, first level of analysis, really, for one department. I think your item addresses all departments, really. So now we get the chance to evaluate where any other federal program we participate in, what flexibility might benefit us. So I will definitely be supportive of the item and look forward to receiving the initial analysis for what we submitted during rulemaking.

Perfect. Thank you so much. Co-sponsorship?

Move it.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

May I have a motion to approve the item as recommended?

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

That exhausts the business of the committee. Any new business? Yes.

Oh, for extension of contracts.

Oh, forgive me. Sorry, I jumped ahead. Contract extension report.

Thank you so much. My question was quick. I know we receive this every month, and I did bring it up during briefing, and it's something the board has discussed often, so I wanted to put it on the record. We are renewing, again, the fences and gates contract, a very important one. There's lots of safety reasons why we have to put up fences or gates in different areas, but we also, as the board have said, sometimes we may have gone a little overboard beyond what's needed and we want to make sure that when we're putting up fences we're doing it in the most aesthetically pleasing way that contributes to our curb appeal doesn't contribute to our schools maybe looking you know less welcoming and so barring anything that's safety related related ensuring that we've had significant supplemental awards on this contract, ensuring that we are thorough in our review of whether they're really necessary, and I did share an example of one school where we couldn't really pinpoint who even wanted this fence in the first place, because all we heard from all the angles was we didn't want this fence, it's not needed for safety, it's not a requirement. And so making sure that we keep safety first, curb appeal, and fiscal responsibility, too, moving forward in this extension. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Legislative update? I saw Mr. Olivares before. There he is. I feel like you just got back and you're going to soon have to go back up through the chair.

Fortunately, it's a later session this year. It is. So we have a little bit more time. Um, but with that being said, uh, we have finished gathering, um, and, and are starting to review our legislative proposals. I know that some have reached out saying that, that we'll get a, that we'll get a few more this week and that's perfectly fine. The intent of our office is to finalize the legislative program and present it to the board at the next board meeting, not this upcoming one, but at the next board meeting. I'll be more than happy, as we did last year, to sit and review if there's any particular questions prior to that meeting. Perfect. Anything? Board Member Geller.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We have, obviously, a very important organizational session of the legislature coming up in November after the elections, which is part of the reason again for the late start and I mean we don't know even for certain who's gonna be at what committee. So I see unfortunately in the absence of my dear sister who served up there as well as I did, I know that process. I don't know whether it is our tradition or history but in that we have this exciting new superintendent do we or is there any thought to our having some kind of introductory presence at this year's organizational session in some more formal than usual way where we can try to arrange for our new superintendent and some members of the board, Madam Chair and Madam Vice Chair and others to be present and have some kind of organized outreach to the new legislative leadership, the new President of the Senate, the new Speaker of the House, who I served with, and present to them our new challenges, our new leadership, and our new approach to dealing with the realities of today's fiscal constraints that we face, whether it's some kind of event that we invite people to, that we host, or something that would give us more of a presence and allow Our day delegation and the new leadership, maybe we'll hear something about new committees close to then or have some suspicions at least, and give them a chance to meet Superintendent Villalobos. Have we done that in the past and is there any contemplation that we could do that this time?

Through the chair. Through the chair, of course. Yeah, so through the chair. It is definitely something that we will sit and discuss, and I think it's a great idea to get out there, maybe not even waiting until the organizational session in November. And after we get this program finalized, even working with our day delegation in their district offices to make such presentations.

Organizational should be on the 17th of November. It should be two weeks.

That's right.

Yes, sir. That means that if we're going to do it, we need to start pulling the trigger on it now to get it set up, not least of which is making sure that we're on the calendar. That's also, I think, the same day as our organizational session, and we've got at least one new member. Well, only one new member. That's going to be sworn in that day. But that's not always a quick fly-in and fly-out in Tallahassee. There are various iterations of it, and... if we work with the incoming speaker, I mean, it's not like we don't know who's going to be speaker and who's going to be Senate president. So if we set this up, could we, is there anything that's going to happen on the 18th up there? I'm skeptical, but is there anything that's going to happen or could happen on the 16th up there that would still get us home that night for our organizational session the following day, my recollection, shaky though it's become, is that there's some things that lead up to that organizational session. The results are all in. Everybody knows who's going up there. And as long as we, you know, I don't know what time ours is on the 17th, I would strongly suggest double booking. I would strongly suggest double booking flights the night before because one may get canceled. But if there's a way to pull that off, that's a blank slate up there. And by the time you get to the December committee meetings, it's less so.

So just as a thought that we can study. Through the chair. Yes, Mr. Ellis.

Mr. Geller, definitely. We welcome that. Mr. Olivares and myself will work on that to see what we can do. I look forward to it. As you know, I've been flying around Miami-Dade County, meeting a lot of different elected officials already. But that is a good time to make sure that we make those connections and we make our point to every single one of them of what some of those challenges are and what we are currently doing to mitigate those challenges as well currently. Now, remember that we are also doing the installation of the superintendent on September 8th at the Fillmore, so that will be a great opportunity also at least to have some small conversations in preparation for that day. So thank you. I welcome that.

Committee meetings in November also start November 30th, so there's a window of time within which, if we miss that because of the conflicts, we'll get them early enough.

Through the chair, two things very quickly, if I might. First, as far as, by the way, September 8th, Mr. Villalobos, I might as well place on the record, at the moment, I'm in a trial when that's taking place. So unless that matter gets settled with one of my colleagues, unfortunately, I'm going to have to miss that because... I mean, not just a hearing, a trial. But secondly, whether it's the 30th, as Committee Chair Espino points out, or otherwise, I suspect that there's at least a couple of my colleagues up here who have possibly closer relationships with incoming legislative leadership than I possess. I would urge you, Mr. Ulivare, and you, Superintendent, to check with them on it, and there's a public face, and there's also a private face, and your mere presence, Mr. Superintendent, is not exciting only to those of us in this room. I suspect it's gonna be... the matter of some real curiosity on the part of legislative leadership. And that's just an opportunity that maybe we can take advantage of.

You should see the crowds he's been pulling. It's like NSYNC is walking up to the building. Thank you. Madam Chair.

Thank you very much.

One Direction, all right. Thank you. I'm showing my age with the NSYNC reference.

Thank you, Board Member Geller. Excellent points, and I do want you to know that that has already started. I can assure you I've already started some conversations already, and I've had conversations with a new incoming superintendent about us proactively, and it takes all of the board members, all of us. That's how we accomplish as much as we did last year because we all went to Tallahassee. We also took advantage of seeing people here because some of them are ours right here so nothing can stops us from being able to communicate uh prior even to that date the only caution with um and we went through this last year one of our colleagues was in Tallahassee almost didn't make it to our organizational meeting right because the planes as you and I and all of us that have flown to Tallahassee which is know that they cancel flights. Flights are delayed. This is continuously. So it would be taking a real big risk. But earlier on or even later, either or, would be great. But I also want to encourage everyone to start meeting with those that are right here with us here in Dade County as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Libari. Mr. Harvey? Yes, through the chair. Just to add to what Mr. Olivari just said, as you know, the organization meeting is set on a specific day by statute. So our district, we don't have any flexibility in that regard. So we have to have it on the two weeks after the election day. It's required by statute.

Thank you so much. New business, the staff follow-up that was provided is essentially the G5 item.